Must watch Chick Flicks – Research and Row80 check in

This weekend I went on a spontaneous trip to Luxembourg. Where the heck is that you might ask? Luxembourg is a smaller European country, which is located below Belgium and also shares borders with France and Germany. Honey Bear and I went to see Romania vs. Luxembourg soccer game (or football match if you prefer). Then we visited Luxembourg city for the day on Saturday. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post with the details and pretty photos.

Luxembourg city - sneak peak

So this week was a little different than the others so far in the ROW80 challenge. Firstly, as I mentioned last Sunday I had to go back to the drawing board. I ran out of outlined chapters so I had to do some plotting before I could continue to write. Knowing myself, I could have left it for a few days and then really sat down to plot. But after checking in last Sunday, I made myself plot and I planned out the next 11 chapters of my novel by hand. Yeah, it would have been smarter to do it on the computer from the beginning, but looking at all my notes in hard copy proved to make the job much more creative and faster.

So this week (as of Tuesday) I had all my plot ready to go on my computer and I began writing. I haven’t exactly hit the 5,000 word mark today YET. But I will. I’ve written two chapters this week, one of them was only 2 paragraphs long, which I don’t know if it works yet but its what I got for the moment.

My favorite chick flick

Today, I am starting to enter the Chick Flick moments of the story. I’m sad to say that I haven’t watched many chick flicks since I moved to Brussels in January 2010. I’ve read my fair share of women’s fiction, but I need some visual aids to get me inspired to write the upcoming chick flick moments of my book. So, now my task for this week is to of course write my 5,000 words, but I must watch some chick flicks for inspiration. Oh, how I dream of my day job being a fiction writer and being asked “so what did you do today?” and my response being “oh, I watched 3 chick flicks for research.” Love it! We can all dream right. 🙂

So can anyone recommend some great chick flicks? (P.S. please don’t recommend movies like A Walk to Remember or the Notebook and remember I’m in Europe so the latest American releases aren’t here yet). Or maybe you have some other good resources for inspiring chick-flicky writing?

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Luxembourg sounds like a good time. One of the few countries that can be hiked across in a day (or less). I asked my wife what her favorite chick-flick was and her suggestion is Roxanne. From me, I’d have to go with Sleepless in Seattle (Tom Hanks and writing being the draw).

Luxembourg looks beautiful, what a lovely place for a spontaneous trip! Can I ask what Chick flick moments are? Just wondering if you mean you are referencing chick flick moments or it means you are writing moments you might see in a chick flick. I love chick flicks. Ok, here are some suggestions.
Love Actually, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary, The Proposal, Two Weeks Notice. All are quite old but all good fun. Enjoy your research!

Good question. I guess it means I will be writing moments that you might see in chick flicks. Love Actually and Bridget Jones are higher on my list of favorite chick flicks. 🙂 I also like Two Weeks Notice.

This is great! I’ve met friends from Canada, Brussels, Germany, Finland, and what was formerly Kurdistan, but never Luxembourg. Well, before today! Wonderful images. I’m not sure how new/old this release is – I don’t watch much television or movies – but I enjoyed a light hearted romantic comedy called ‘Leap Year’. I liked the contrast between the fast-paced, ambitious, type-A driven female character and the laid-back, easy-going, thoughtful and contemplative male character. (He was easy to look at, too….lol) Have a good time with him…. ~ Nadja

Hi Nadja,
Thanks for the comment. I’m Canadian actually, just living in Brussels and traveling Europe. This weekend happened to be a trip to Luxembourg. I’ve seen Leap Year once, I think its time for a repeat because I remember liking it. 🙂

I can’t wait to see the photos from Luxembourg! Let’s see, on the topic of chick flicks, I absolutely echo Em’s recommendation of Love Actually — that’s one of my favorite films of all times. I also enjoyed New In Town (another Renee Zellwegger film), as well as A Good Year (starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard) and The Devil Wears Prada (although that is mostly for the shoes and the clothes, lol).

I’m a week late responding to this post. We moved on Monday. I haven’t watched many chick flicks either. I’m an action and sci-fi girl. I live with my husband and two sons:)
SInce I don’t know what kind of love story/scene you are looking for I’m not sure if my suggestions will fit, but here goes.
Pride and Prejudice
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Elizabeth I
Runaway Bride
You’ve Got Mail

I thoroughly enjoyed The Holiday. Watched it 2 or 3 times. Can’t think of any other chick flicks at the moment. Sounds like you are doing well. I came to that point as well that needed to continue to outline because didn’t really know where was going with story even though I had an idea. Looking forward to hearing about Luxemberg

ummmm, maybe I shouldn’t share how many times I’ve watched The Holiday…. 🙂 Yes, I find outlining helps me a lot, but I still stumble sometimes because I “feel” that another scene is needed or I need a moment to think about how to get in the mood to write certain scenes. Thanks for the comment.

That is one beautiful city. Romantic in fact. Chick flicks? While you were sleeping, confessions of a shopholic. I’ve yet to check with my wife what she likes. There’s one with Nicolas cage and bridget fonda, forgot the title. Great post.

Ahhh, the lovely Chick Flick! Anything that can make you laugh, cry or get nostalgic for your girls counts, right? As a fellow Women’s fiction writer, I love them. 🙂

I agree with Gene that Roxanne and Sleepless in Seattle are good. Plus, you’ve got the oldies like Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias, Boys On The Side and Practical Magic. I seem to remember Moonlight and Valentino fondly for the role of Jon Bon Jovi…he was sooo cute in that movie! There’s the classic, “An Affair To Remember,” which is referenced nicely in Sleepless in Seattle.

Hmmmm. About Last Night, When Harry Met Sally and The Witches of Eastwick are must-watch films. But, if you can get it, you’ve GOT to see “He’s Just Not That Into You”…one of the best Chick Flicks in the last few years. Dirty Dancing and Jerry Maguire (“You had me at hello” – fantastic line) always make me happy too.

Wow Jenny, I will need a whole spreadsheet to keep track of these. 🙂 I’m happy I’m not the only one with a large repertoire of chick flicks. I’ve seen “He’s Just Not That Into You,” but I should watch it again.

[…] You’ve got ROWBros, Gene Lempp and Kerry Meacham, keeping things lively at all times. Our pal, Sonia G. Madeiros, is back in action at her lovely blog. Plus friends I gain tremendous joy keeping up with friends I found at the beginning of this ROW80 round – Jamila Jamison and Nicole Basaraba. […]

On February 3, 2012 I will be presenting my the oral defense at Pacifica Graduate Institute for my PhD dissertation, “Chick Flick and Weepies-The Mythology of Love in Film.” I am not certain when my dissertation will be published. Once I am finished with the defense and final edit I would be happy to share some of the films which I have studied.